Health Fitness :: Health
"HIV Is Still A Big Deal" Video Series by Kent McGroarty
EDGE ContributorMonday Jun 16, 2008 A new video series premiering on June 11 is here to "re-shape HIV prevention among gay men." Entitled "HIV Is Still A Big Deal" the series is a realistic look into the life of today’s gay man and dealing with the possibility of being infected with HIV while maintaining relationships with those already living with the disease. This series was created due to the rising numbers of new HIV infections among gay men.
The series will follow "Josh", a young gay man living in Manhattan in New York City. Josh enjoys the local bar scene and likes to drink and more often than not gets way too intoxicated. After meeting and sleeping with a guy he met online he realizes that his risky behavior is catching up with him. He finds prescription drugs for HIV in the medicine cabinet of the man he slept with and panics. Josh can barely recall what happened the night before and does not even know if a condom was used! Josh is angry that his one-night stand did not disclose his positive status, yet Josh’s HIV-positive friends chastise him for being so careless to begin with. He can barely recall the encounter itself, so how would he remember the man telling him about his status?
This series is an important reminder that HIV is still a huge issue that has not gone away. Drugs, particularly crystal meth, and alcohol combined with the accessibility of the Internet have opened up new and frightening possibilities involving HIV. So far this series only shows gay men drinking alcohol and engaging in casual sex. Something the series might consider portraying is crystal meth use, which became popular in the gay community around the same time as using the Internet for hookups.
Crystal meth relieves users of their inhibitions while the Internet provides easy access to casual sex. Sexual encounters arranged on the Internet result in greater risk for spreading HIV than any bar or bathhouse because the Internet is right there: quick, simple, and always available. While the series does show Josh using one of the many online dating sites available and drinking in excess, drug use, especially a drug like crystal meth, has a large role in the spreading of HIV.
Another important and realistic concern emphasized in this series is not only testing, but the importance of getting re-tested even if the results are negative. While an HIV test may come up negative, the smart and healthy thing to do is to get tested again about three months later. It takes HIV four to six months to show up on a test, so engaging in casual hookups and getting tested a week later is not the final say in whether or not infection has occurred. Josh gets tested for HIV in "The Test", the second video in the series. The doctor recommends being tested again in three months to make sure Josh does not have the disease.
It will be interesting to follow this character in this series, as it is hinted that Josh and his HIV-infected one-night stand might begin dating at the end of "The Test", the second video. While condoms are better than nothing in terms of combating HIV, they are not foolproof, so sleeping with an infected person can still be considered risky behavior. How will the series choose to portray a relationship between someone who is infected and someone who is not? Stay tuned to find out!
A sample of 500 men, after watching this series reported that they "were three times more likely to disclose their status to potential partners and about 1.5 times more likely to get tested for HIV." How encouraging! While the digital age has made causal hookups that much easier to arrange it also has the power to spread HIV awareness. This series is doing just that!
Kent McGroarty is a freelance writer. She is a frequent contributor to EDGE’S Style, Travel, Health, and Fitness channels. Contact her at kentmcgroarty@yahoo.com.
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